IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jscscx/v6y2017i1p31-d93086.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

At the Interface of National and Transnational: The Development of Finnish Policies against Domestic Violence in Terms of Gender Equality

Author

Listed:
  • Tuija Virkki

    (Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylän yliopisto 40014, Finland)

Abstract

Although gender inequalities are the main social mechanisms behind the (re)production of domestic violence, policy responses to domestic violence as a gender-related problem vary at both the national and transnational levels. This article examines the interaction between national and transnational policies against domestic violence, focusing on how domestic violence is constructed as a gender-related problem in Finland, a Nordic welfare state that is often cited as a role model in gender equality. Using the conception of policies as historically changing and culturally specific discourses, this article offers an overview of the ways in which the perspective on domestic violence of the transnational feminist movement has been engaged and transformed in the Finnish context over the five last decades. It is shown that transnational pressure has played a critical role in pushing Finland towards a stronger recognition of domestic violence as a gender issue. However, this transformation has taken place rather within the framework of more neutral “women-friendly” welfare policies than within a feminist framework. The article concludes that the Finnish way of translating transnational norms to the national level is characterized by a tendency to modify the transformative meanings underpinning the transnational feminist discourses to a more gender-neutral form.

Suggested Citation

  • Tuija Virkki, 2017. "At the Interface of National and Transnational: The Development of Finnish Policies against Domestic Violence in Terms of Gender Equality," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 6(1), pages 1-17, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:6:y:2017:i:1:p:31-:d:93086
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/6/1/31/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/6/1/31/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Htun, Mala & Weldon, S. Laurel, 2012. "The Civic Origins of Progressive Policy Change: Combating Violence against Women in Global Perspective, 1975–2005," American Political Science Review, Cambridge University Press, vol. 106(3), pages 548-569, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Michael Mintrom & Jacqui True, 2022. "COVID-19 as a policy window: policy entrepreneurs responding to violence against women [The pandemic paradox: The consequences of COVID-19 on domestic violence]," Policy and Society, Darryl S. Jarvis and M. Ramesh, vol. 41(1), pages 143-154.
    2. O'Brien, Cheryl & Newport, Morgan, 2023. "Prioritizing women's choices, consent, and bodily autonomy: From a continuum of violence to women-centric reproductive care," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 333(C).
    3. Roy Chowdhury, Soumi & Bohara, Alok K. & Horn, Brady P., 2018. "Balance of Power, Domestic Violence, and Health Injuries: Evidence from Demographic and Health Survey of Nepal," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 102(C), pages 18-29.
    4. Petra Debusscher, 2020. "Budget Support Through a Gender Lens: The Case of EU Development Cooperation with Botswana," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 32(3), pages 718-737, July.
    5. Jillienne Haglund & Courtney Hillebrecht, 2020. "Overlapping international human rights institutions: Introducing the Women’s Rights Recommendations Digital Database (WR2D2)," Journal of Peace Research, Peace Research Institute Oslo, vol. 57(5), pages 648-657, September.
    6. Forman-Rabinovici, Aliza & Sommer, Udi, 2018. "An impediment to gender Equality?: Religion’s influence on development and reproductive policy," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 105(C), pages 48-58.
    7. Andrea Krizsan & Conny Roggeband, 2018. "Towards a Conceptual Framework for Struggles over Democracy in Backsliding States: Gender Equality Policy in Central Eastern Europe," Politics and Governance, Cogitatio Press, vol. 6(3), pages 90-100.
    8. Marina Muñoz‐Puig, 2024. "Intersectional power struggles in feminist movements: An analysis of resistance and counter‐resistance to intersectionality," Gender, Work and Organization, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 31(3), pages 1133-1147, May.
    9. Anne Marie Goetz & Rob Jenkins, 2018. "Feminist Activism and the Politics of Reform: When and Why Do States Respond to Demands for Gender Equality Policies?," Development and Change, International Institute of Social Studies, vol. 49(3), pages 714-734, May.
    10. Amanda Murdie & Dursun Peksen, 2015. "Women’s rights INGO shaming and the government respect for women’s rights," The Review of International Organizations, Springer, vol. 10(1), pages 1-22, March.
    11. Kate Mukungu, 2017. "“How Can You Write About a Person Who Does Not Exist?”: Rethinking Pseudonymity and Informed Consent in Life History Research," Social Sciences, MDPI, vol. 6(3), pages 1-9, August.
    12. Kelly M Kadera & Sarah Shair-Rosenfield, 2018. "Gendered participation, well-being, and representations in political violence: An introduction," Conflict Management and Peace Science, Peace Science Society (International), vol. 35(3), pages 211-214, May.
    13. Jennifer Oser & Jan E. Leighley & Kenneth M. Winneg, 2014. "Participation, Online and Otherwise: What's the Difference for Policy Preferences?," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 95(5), pages 1259-1277, December.
    14. Alice Evans, 2018. "Amplifying accountability by benchmarking results at district and national levels," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 36(2), pages 221-240, March.
    15. Sundström, Aksel & Paxton, Pamela & Wang, Yi-Ting & Lindberg, Staffan I., 2017. "Women’s Political Empowerment: A New Global Index, 1900–2012," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 94(C), pages 321-335.
    16. Tamsin Bradley & Zara Martin & Rajni Palriwala, 2021. "Conceptualising Subjectivities and Rationalities in Understanding Gendered Violence: Processes of Social and Cultural Change," Progress in Development Studies, , vol. 21(2), pages 181-195, April.
    17. O'Brien, Cheryl, 2015. "Transnational issue-specific expert networking: A pathway to local policy change," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 146(C), pages 285-291.
    18. Byung-Deuk Woo, 2022. "The Impacts of Gender-Related Factors on the Adoption of Anti-Human Trafficking Laws in Sub-Saharan African Countries," SAGE Open, , vol. 12(2), pages 21582440221, May.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:gam:jscscx:v:6:y:2017:i:1:p:31-:d:93086. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.